Mayors of both 91原创 City and Township were pleased with the unanimous vote by the TransLink Mayors' Council to move forward with a new financial plan that expands local bus service.
The 2027 Investment Plan covers funding for the next three years, and includes an increase in property taxes that will amount to about $20 a year on average, plus a 14-cent fare increase and a higher tax on pay parking lot operators.
It adds a significant number of bus routes in 91原创, including a long-awaited direct route from 91原创 City to the Gloucester Industrial Estates in north Aldergrove. Local politicians and employers have been lobbying for such a link for many years.
The plan also contains funding for planning and design work for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line proposed to run down 200 Street in 91原创 City and Township, connecting across the Golden Ears Bridge to Maple Ridge.
It also adds a direct bus link to Campbell Valley Regional Park in 91原创 during the summer months, upgrades the 388 which runs west from Carvolth Exchange down 88 Avenue into Surrey to an all-day route, and upgrades service levels on half a dozen other local bus routes.
Township Mayor Eric Woodward noted that the plan was adopted unanimously by the Mayors' Council, which oversees TransLink.
It provides more stable funding for the next few years, but doesn't fully address TransLink's structural deficit, Woodward noted.
"The province will have to implement a new revenue source in 2027," Woodward said.
However, he was mostly pleased, including with the route to Gloucester and the BRT planning.
"The detailed design and preparations for capital funding for Bus Rapid Transit for 200 Street has been funded for up to three years, which is great news, needed with the opening of Surrey-91原创 SkyTrain in 2030," Woodward said. "And further, there will be millions in additional funding for major roads and active transportation and other upgrade projects."
City Mayor Nathan Pachal said he was also pleased with the work of the Mayors' Council.
"It's a good step forward," he said, noting it goes about 50 per cent of the way towards resolving the transit agency's financial issues.
He too was pleased with the link to Gloucester, as he notes it increases job opportunities for City residents.
With a large amount of the planned service increases coming to the fast-growing South of the Fraser 鈥� Delta, Surrey, White Rock, and 91原创 鈥� it's a step towards reliable transit service that people can count on, he said.
"It's good for 91原创 City, it's good for the South of the Fraser, and it's good for Metro Vancouver," Pachal said.
